(Idea stolen from dozens of people, sorry.)
Dear Abby,
Today you turn two years old! You've grown so much since we first brought you home on June 12, 2007. Your mom and I wanted for a long, long time to have you in our lives, and we could not feel more blessed than we do when we are with you.
You are the light of my life, and of moms, too. Everything we do now goes through a filter of "how will this work for Abby" without even thinking it on purpose. I sometimes think that you are the reason your mom likes me so much, but don't tell her I said that.
In the past year you have learned so much that it blows my mind. On your first birthday you could not walk, and today you are running, literally in circles, wherever you please. You could only say a few words, and sign a few others. Now you are very good with both, and even when you babble it is wonderment to me.
Last night you even sang us a song, which I assume is titled "La La" and I am sure that I could never reproduce it, but you were sure it was a song and told us so.
Your bigger family loves you, as well. All of the locals will be here for your party, and we will see everyone else over the summer. You diligently learned everyone's names from their pictures, and do really well at matching pictures with real faces. That still amazes me, since I struggle sometimes with that.
You love your friends, teachers and babies (your three categories, not mine) at school. You recite their names as if to remind us who they are, even when we are at home. Always when we are at home, come to think of it. I hope you never lose track of your friends, and they of you.
You are tentative in a new place, but only for a few moments. Once you have judged something (or someone) safe, you're off and we have to pull you away. I'm grateful for your happiness around strangers and friends alike.
We are lucky that you are willing to try new foods, and always just a little disappointed when you call too quickly for "chicken" if you don't like a new food. I am persistent, though, and will get you to like asparagus soon enough!
I am looking forward to the next year of your life as much as I have the last year, and the one before that. I am ready to be amazed by what you come up with, what you do, and how you grow.
Abby, we love you more every day. I hope you always know that.
-Dad
Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birthday. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
Growth and Progress
I do not have official 24 month statistics just yet, we will have that appointment the week after school lets out, but last night I got Abby to stand on a scale and she came out at 29 pounds. Why would I do such a thing? Anny and I had just done it, and Abby wanted a turn.
As the end of the school year draws close we have gotten a detailed progress report on Abby's growth in abilities, from coloring to talking and from eating to dressing. It is fascinating to see that she has mastered almost everything for her age range, and that the next set of boxes had more checks than blanks. We're truly blessed with a child that loves to learn and try new things. (as long as there are chicken nuggets as backup, that is!)
Unfortunately, "dip" still pervades every meal that it can. If there is no ketchup for dipping around, Abby will make due with jelly of any flavor. She even sampled mint jelly when we were in Wyoming this spring!
Abby has mastered counting to ten, and on occasion will count to 11. We are using this as a tool for things already, as in "count to ten and your diaper change will be over" or "once we get to five you need to be in your" fill in the blank. She knows that if I get to five she is either in her place, or I will put her there. I think it's a hybrid of "classic" parenting and "hippie" parenting. We'll see how long it works.
Finally, Abby's ABC's are adorable. Aside from skipping everything from C to G, she always has a N-A-N-O-P. The funnier part, though, is that she knows there is a "double" something (W) at the end, and that often changes. I have heard everything from "double m" to "double c," though most often it's "double v." I'm proud of her for trying - it's a good potty time song, and can be used much in the same way as doing her numbers when needed.
As we gear up for her birthday weekend, which I believe began with a cake yesterday with the Wendy's Bunch from church, I will be reflecting on things. I hope to be blogging on those, but in reality I have a house to clean, orange cakes to help bake and a wonderful daughter and wife that are fun to hang out with. :o)
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Abby is currently teething, and has been for the last three weeks or so. She does not just have crankiness symptoms, but she has also slept longer on a couple of occasions and her diapers are... let's just say that if you want details you'll have to email me. I don't blog about gross stuff like that! We are hoping that she is through this soon for her sake, and ours!
As the end of the school year draws close we have gotten a detailed progress report on Abby's growth in abilities, from coloring to talking and from eating to dressing. It is fascinating to see that she has mastered almost everything for her age range, and that the next set of boxes had more checks than blanks. We're truly blessed with a child that loves to learn and try new things. (as long as there are chicken nuggets as backup, that is!)
Unfortunately, "dip" still pervades every meal that it can. If there is no ketchup for dipping around, Abby will make due with jelly of any flavor. She even sampled mint jelly when we were in Wyoming this spring!
Abby has mastered counting to ten, and on occasion will count to 11. We are using this as a tool for things already, as in "count to ten and your diaper change will be over" or "once we get to five you need to be in your" fill in the blank. She knows that if I get to five she is either in her place, or I will put her there. I think it's a hybrid of "classic" parenting and "hippie" parenting. We'll see how long it works.
Finally, Abby's ABC's are adorable. Aside from skipping everything from C to G, she always has a N-A-N-O-P. The funnier part, though, is that she knows there is a "double" something (W) at the end, and that often changes. I have heard everything from "double m" to "double c," though most often it's "double v." I'm proud of her for trying - it's a good potty time song, and can be used much in the same way as doing her numbers when needed.
As we gear up for her birthday weekend, which I believe began with a cake yesterday with the Wendy's Bunch from church, I will be reflecting on things. I hope to be blogging on those, but in reality I have a house to clean, orange cakes to help bake and a wonderful daughter and wife that are fun to hang out with. :o)
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Abby is currently teething, and has been for the last three weeks or so. She does not just have crankiness symptoms, but she has also slept longer on a couple of occasions and her diapers are... let's just say that if you want details you'll have to email me. I don't blog about gross stuff like that! We are hoping that she is through this soon for her sake, and ours!
Friday, June 20, 2008
12 Month Check-Up
For starters, I love that it's called a "well baby visit" rahter than check-up these days. Anyway.
On Wednesday we had Abby's 12 month well-baby visit! Here are the vitals:
Weight: 23 pounds (70th Percentile)
Height: 29.5 inches (77th percentile)
That means she is a big girl, but proportionally big. (good thing)
She got three follow-up shots. That went over better this time than before, mostly because rather than trying to comfort her solely by rocking and cuddling with her, we said and signed "all done" and she quieted down immediately. She was even calm enough that she gave the pediatrician a hug on the way out the door.
Very cute.
So, she's officially a toddler and has been given the green light to new foods like nuts, milk and strawberries. Food issues are the one thing that I was all "first time parent" about, but now that is over!
On Wednesday we had Abby's 12 month well-baby visit! Here are the vitals:
Weight: 23 pounds (70th Percentile)
Height: 29.5 inches (77th percentile)
That means she is a big girl, but proportionally big. (good thing)
She got three follow-up shots. That went over better this time than before, mostly because rather than trying to comfort her solely by rocking and cuddling with her, we said and signed "all done" and she quieted down immediately. She was even calm enough that she gave the pediatrician a hug on the way out the door.
Very cute.
So, she's officially a toddler and has been given the green light to new foods like nuts, milk and strawberries. Food issues are the one thing that I was all "first time parent" about, but now that is over!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Abby's First Birthday Party!
Saturday was Abby's big day, in more ways than we could have thought! We had a really good turnout for her birthday party, but her day started way before 2:00.
When Abby first woke up it was way too early - 5 am. I swooped her up and rocked her back to sleep for the next hour and a half so that we had a bit of a head start on sleep for the day. We headed off to the Farmer's Market where she was the center of attention in her new Red Wagon!
On the way home from the grocery store she fell back asleep, it was about 9:15 by then. Instead of letting her get a 30 minute nap in her crib, I once again rocked her to the tune of another hour. All of this forced/extra sleep was in anticipation of an afternoon of missed naps and great excitement. Turns our our gamble was worth it!
Abby was showered with gifts and attention and loved every minute of it! She got to play with her friends Evan and Luke and had one more trick up her sleeve for the day......
Once about half of the crowd had left Abby WALKED!!!! Anny was in a chair and I was on the couch and Abby went back and forth with no help several times! Yes, all apologies to my wife, but Abby is the kind of child to wait for a crowd to blow our minds!
There are no pictures or video of the walking, but there are plenty of the party and day. Here's a slide show of the day:
When Abby first woke up it was way too early - 5 am. I swooped her up and rocked her back to sleep for the next hour and a half so that we had a bit of a head start on sleep for the day. We headed off to the Farmer's Market where she was the center of attention in her new Red Wagon!
On the way home from the grocery store she fell back asleep, it was about 9:15 by then. Instead of letting her get a 30 minute nap in her crib, I once again rocked her to the tune of another hour. All of this forced/extra sleep was in anticipation of an afternoon of missed naps and great excitement. Turns our our gamble was worth it!
Abby was showered with gifts and attention and loved every minute of it! She got to play with her friends Evan and Luke and had one more trick up her sleeve for the day......
Once about half of the crowd had left Abby WALKED!!!! Anny was in a chair and I was on the couch and Abby went back and forth with no help several times! Yes, all apologies to my wife, but Abby is the kind of child to wait for a crowd to blow our minds!
There are no pictures or video of the walking, but there are plenty of the party and day. Here's a slide show of the day:
Friday, June 13, 2008
Birthday Review of The Day
Yesterday was Abby's First Birthday! We played things a little lower key because her party is not until Saturday. We did not do cake, though there is a rumor that mom and dad broke out Samoa's from the freezer after Abby was in bed.
Abby woke up extra early, beating out my pre-planned wake up alarm of the song "It's Your Birthday" by Justin Roberts. (If you have iTunes, you can hear a sample HERE). I had the alarm set about five minutes before our normal alarm. Abby woke up about a half hour early! I still managed to get the iPod going and we sang to her to open her day.
At school they celebrated, too. Anny got to go, but since I left early on Wednesday for the end-o-year party, I didn't hop over. Anyway, Anny said that Abby soaked it all in. Loved the attention and the special party hat. We sent fruit cups and they were a huge hit! One of the babies had never had grapes and she went crazy over them.
Before dinner, Abby "helped" me put together her new Radio Flyer Wagon! By "helped" me I mean that she spun the tires and waved a screwdriver at it. Once it was all put together, she got in and played by herself, opening and closing the seats and playing with the canopy cover, for quite a while. See picture:
For dinner Anny and I had burgers, but Abby had peas, burger and leftover fruit from earlier. Absolute heaven. No, we did not give her a cup cake or any sugary goodness.
Abby went to bed a little late after opening gifts and cards that have arrived already. The big party is Saturday, so I should have some more pictures up soon!
Abby woke up extra early, beating out my pre-planned wake up alarm of the song "It's Your Birthday" by Justin Roberts. (If you have iTunes, you can hear a sample HERE). I had the alarm set about five minutes before our normal alarm. Abby woke up about a half hour early! I still managed to get the iPod going and we sang to her to open her day.
At school they celebrated, too. Anny got to go, but since I left early on Wednesday for the end-o-year party, I didn't hop over. Anyway, Anny said that Abby soaked it all in. Loved the attention and the special party hat. We sent fruit cups and they were a huge hit! One of the babies had never had grapes and she went crazy over them.
Before dinner, Abby "helped" me put together her new Radio Flyer Wagon! By "helped" me I mean that she spun the tires and waved a screwdriver at it. Once it was all put together, she got in and played by herself, opening and closing the seats and playing with the canopy cover, for quite a while. See picture:
 |
| From June 2008 |
Abby went to bed a little late after opening gifts and cards that have arrived already. The big party is Saturday, so I should have some more pictures up soon!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
12 Months of Pics
Lots of looking back right now while looking forward. These are 13 pictures from our Flickr account. This is where I plan to post one picture a day for the next year.
(It's a movement called Project 365. I'm mostly hoping that it will encourage me to be more regular with picture-taking and get some more creative pictures)
(and I'm posting directly from Flickr, so it is a bit of an experiment here...)
12 Months of Pics
Originally uploaded by armonroe
First First Birthday Post (Updated!)
This is the first of what will probably be several posts today! Happy Birthday Little Girl!
First Birthday Faces from Anny and Rob on Vimeo.
I didn't add music becuase it's really short and that would be a bit weird. For the next year I plan to take a picture every day so hopefully next year's faces video will be longer and have other features. For now, enjoy!
Here is a picture that blends two. On the left is a picture from June of 2007, on the right is a picture from (late) May of 2008. You can easily see how big she is with these two!
First Birthday Faces from Anny and Rob on Vimeo.
I didn't add music becuase it's really short and that would be a bit weird. For the next year I plan to take a picture every day so hopefully next year's faces video will be longer and have other features. For now, enjoy!
Here is a picture that blends two. On the left is a picture from June of 2007, on the right is a picture from (late) May of 2008. You can easily see how big she is with these two!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
A Fun Filled Week has Begun!
Abby's birthday has been celebrated once already, and the festivities will not end for a while!
There is a group of good people from our church that go to the local Wendy's each Sunday following worship. (Sorry, Sarahlynn. Wendy's really is an every-week occurrence for us! You should see what they've done to the Frosty!) Since we're not sure what's happening next Sunday, Abby had her first "Happy Birthday" sung to her following lunch last week. I can attest that there is something really cool about having a choir (like, real choir) of people singing such a song, in harmony, to your kid. Very cool.
On Wednesday we will go to Abby's school to celebrate in the classroom's end-of-year party. It sounds like all of the parents and teachers will be there, so that will be kind of cool. The flyer said there will be "happy hour types of food" so I'm hoping for some chicken wings. Not really. We will celebrate the growth that the children have made, and present the teachers with a little something.
Thursday is Abby's big day! We don't have anything planned except a dinner at home and opening gifts that are from far away places that needed to be shipped. Some came wrapped, but some did not. It looks like I have some constructing to do! YAY!
For school we have decided to send fruit cups for each child because there will be so much sugar on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Hopefully it will go over well. Who are we kidding? If it does not go over well, the children will deal with it anyway!
Friday is Abby S's birthday. (One of the three Abigail's out of three children under 1!) There will be more school celebrating, but we're taking it easy at our house! We are hoping to have dinner out with some folks as a pre-party party.
Saturday is the Big Birthday Party! We're not sticking with a theme or inviting many people. Okay, we invited many people only because we have lots of family around here. Last month I had planned on cleaning once for two parties, but in between said parties I have created quite the mess. I think I'll be cleaning the house tonight to make room for all of the people coming over!
The real thing that is crazy to me is that when all is said and done Abby will have no idea that it's happened. I might as well enjoy the ride, right?!!
There is a group of good people from our church that go to the local Wendy's each Sunday following worship. (Sorry, Sarahlynn. Wendy's really is an every-week occurrence for us! You should see what they've done to the Frosty!) Since we're not sure what's happening next Sunday, Abby had her first "Happy Birthday" sung to her following lunch last week. I can attest that there is something really cool about having a choir (like, real choir) of people singing such a song, in harmony, to your kid. Very cool.
On Wednesday we will go to Abby's school to celebrate in the classroom's end-of-year party. It sounds like all of the parents and teachers will be there, so that will be kind of cool. The flyer said there will be "happy hour types of food" so I'm hoping for some chicken wings. Not really. We will celebrate the growth that the children have made, and present the teachers with a little something.
Thursday is Abby's big day! We don't have anything planned except a dinner at home and opening gifts that are from far away places that needed to be shipped. Some came wrapped, but some did not. It looks like I have some constructing to do! YAY!
For school we have decided to send fruit cups for each child because there will be so much sugar on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Hopefully it will go over well. Who are we kidding? If it does not go over well, the children will deal with it anyway!
Friday is Abby S's birthday. (One of the three Abigail's out of three children under 1!) There will be more school celebrating, but we're taking it easy at our house! We are hoping to have dinner out with some folks as a pre-party party.
Saturday is the Big Birthday Party! We're not sticking with a theme or inviting many people. Okay, we invited many people only because we have lots of family around here. Last month I had planned on cleaning once for two parties, but in between said parties I have created quite the mess. I think I'll be cleaning the house tonight to make room for all of the people coming over!
The real thing that is crazy to me is that when all is said and done Abby will have no idea that it's happened. I might as well enjoy the ride, right?!!
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